BASF, Toyota and Vuteq win SPE Grand Award for injection-molded Tacoma truck bed
- The project won the 2026 SPE Automotive Innovation Grand Award and the body exterior category for the 2026 Toyota Tacoma short-bed.
- The bed is a paint-free, 50% short-glass-fiber‑reinforced PA6 (Ultramid B3ZG10 HSP UV Ccycled* 5) developed as an alternative to painted long-glass-fiber SMC.
- Production uses ENGEL’s duo 12000 US injection platform with 110,000 kN (12,000 US ton) clamping force and a ~30 kg shot to mold a single-piece bed over three pre-molded structural supports with no fasteners.
- Sustainability measures include BASF’s Ccycled mass-balance attribution, investigations into recycling manufacturing scrap, and an MOU between Toyota and BASF to explore end-of-life recovery and reuse.
Award and collaborators
BASF, Toyota and Vuteq received the 2026 SPE Automotive Innovation Grand Award for the injection-molded thermoplastic truck bed used on the 2026 Toyota Tacoma short-bed. The program also involves Cascade Engineering, Haidlmair and ENGEL and is built around three technical pillars: large-part manufacturing scale, material innovation and sustainability.
Manufacturing scale and process
ENGEL developed the duo 12000 US platform (110,000 kN/12,000 US ton clamping force) and a ~125‑ton mold with ~30 kg shot size to enable molding at unprecedented scale. Three pre-molded arched crossmembers are loaded into the mold and overmolded to form a single-piece bed with integrated structural supports and no mechanical fasteners. BASF’s Ultrasim CAE and physical testing were used to predict mold filling, fiber orientation, dimensional stability and structural performance.
Material innovation
The bed uses Ultramid B3ZG10 HSP UV Ccycled* 5, a 50% glass-fiber‑reinforced, impact‑modified PA6 engineered for high flow, molded surface quality that allows paint elimination, plus stiffness, point‑load impact resistance and UV durability to meet exterior application requirements.
Sustainability and circularity
The Ultramid product is attributed via BASF’s Ccycled mass‑balance approach. Vuteq is evaluating a recycling supply chain for qualifying manufacturing scrap, and Toyota and BASF have signed an MOU to study end‑of‑life recovery and reuse, subject to technical validation, collection infrastructure and commercial feasibility.
Source: BASF